Gary Murphy endured a nightmare over the final 11 holes of his second round at the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca as he went from a tie for third spot to missing the cut by one shot in brutal conditions on the Spanish holiday island.
The Kilkenny golfer had opened with a two–under 68, and despite a late start due to a thunderstorm and a dropped shot on the third, he moved to three under with back-to-back from the fifth.
His tale of woe began at the short eighth with a double-bogey five. Two pars followed before the real damage was done when he followed a double bogey at the 11th with a triple-bogey seven at the 12th to fall to four-over-par.
That was still inside the cut mark and four straight pars seemed to have steadied the ship. But he would drop another two shots at the 17th and bogey the short 18th for a nine-over-par 79 and crash out of the tournament on seven over.
Sweden’s Pelle Edberg was in a league of his own with a second-round 64 to give him the joint lead with South African James Kingston, who was able to add only a level-par 70 to his pacesetting opening 65.
The pair lie on five under, three clear of Welshman Stuart Manley and the Spanish pairing of Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Alejandro Canizares.
Six months after losing his Tour card and then failing to win it back at the qualifying school, Edberg has had only limited opportunities on the circuit this season.
But the 31-year-old known for his colourful headbands has already recorded one top-10 finish and now a first victory is in his sights at Pula after the joint lowest round of his career.
Edberg, out in 32 before picking up further shots on the fifth, sixth and eighth, was on the last fairway when a thunderstorm halted play for over two hours.
“I had 165 metres to the pin on the ninth and was practising with a seven-iron, but when I got back on the course after the delay it was a soft nine-iron. It was crazy. Even that pitched by the hole and finished 15 metres behind.
“I didn’t expect 64, but I played really well tee-to-green and gave myself opportunities.”
Colm Moriarty, Damien McGrane and Paul McGinley made the most of the better conditions earlier in the day to make the weekend play.
Moriarty shot a level-par 70 and lies on four over, a shot ahead of Damien McGrane, who posted a 71. McGinley birdies the 17th for a 71 to make the cut right on the mark of six over.